July 2012: Joy

As disciples (or “learners”) of Jesus, I am glad to say that we are called upon to learn all about Joy! Our joy comes from seeing the Kingdom of Heaven for the treasure that it is, in the middle of a world of pain. Our joy comes from believing in the God whose kingdom it is and from serving others. Alongside our joy we find peace and strength.

However, our strength and peace are based in the Lord, not in our joy – and we will have problems if we forget this. The seven scriptures for us to study are:

In Matthew 13:44-52 there is the Joy of the Kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field”.

In Psalm 42 (Thu 5 July) there is the Problem of Joy in the past. “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng”. Fortunately we can deal with the memory of past joys “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God”.

In Nehemiah 8 we find Strength in Joy. “The joy of the lord is our strength”.

In Habakkuk 3 (Thu 12 July) we find Joy alongside Pain. “Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour” In Isaiah 55 we look at the relationship between Joy and Peace. “You shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace”

In Luke 10:17-24 we look at the Joy of Serving. “The seventy two returned with joy”. It is this joy arising from serving the Lord together which I think prompts Paul in Philippians 1: 4-5 to say that “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel”.

In Acts 16:22-40 we look at the Joy of Believing “The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God— he and his whole family”. Our new birth is indeed something to greatly rejoice in (1 Peter 1:3-6).